The game, which pits plants against zombies in competitive team-based modes, features a third-person perspective, allowing you to keep tabs on your character while hunting down enemies and occasionally healing teammates to keep these players in the fight.

With the Peashooter, you have your general ground soldier, although once you unlock its hyper ability, you can move around quickly and jump on rooftops catching would-be snipers by surprise. Firepower is relatively weak and takes a little time to reload, but this is a good basic character to use.

Players who prefer a long-range assault should choose the Cactus. This character pelts enemies from a distance, but also has close-range maneuvers. It's a little slower than the Peashooter, but effective when it comes to laying out bad guys. It's a great idea to have a couple of these on your team.

The Sunflower is the healer of the group, so gamers who enjoy playing a support role will find a lot to love. It can fire short-range bursts and set up healing points that give teammates a much-needed energy boost. It's just as weak as the Peashooter when it comes to firepower, but still effective on the battlefield.

Finally, the Chomper is a grunt. He's superb in close quarters, as he quickly chomps enemies and pops off their heads with a few well-timed bites. He corners distracted zombies and swallows them in one gulp, though doing this leaves him vulnerable to attack for a couple of seconds while he "reloads," so to speak; it's more like his stomach settling. In addition, he has a terrific ground-digging attack where he pops up on enemies almost undetected, leaving a dirt trail in his wake. Be careful, though – you're still vulnerable to gunfire, even though you're underground. Move quickly and strike hard.

Get to Know Your Zombies

The four zombies are just as good as the plants, and even better in some areas.
First, there's the Soldier. This is your basic grunt character, with average firepower and speed. However, he has a rocket jump that, like the Peashooter's hyper capability, allows him to reach rooftops and take out surprise snipers. He's a good general character so start with.

Next up is the Engineer. He fills the support role for the team, stunning enemies from a distance and building turret weapons that strike plants within range. He's good for tacticians, but not for those who have a general assault approach.

The Scientist is a nice mix of tactics and brute strength. He generates health points that heal teammates, and strikes hard from close-range. If you have rival plants trying to shut down your health generators, stay close so you can take them out.

Finally, there's our personal favorite – the All-Star. He carries a football-firing machine gun that lasts for a few seconds before needing to recharge. Line up multiple enemies in its sights and you can get a string of kills. He also has a charge attack that'll run roughshod over most opponents, if it's in the right spot.

Unwrap Sticker Packs

As you play through Garden Warfare, you'll earn coins to unlock sticker packs, which you can use over the course of matches as power-ups. These include turrets, secondary aids and more. You'll get the first three packs free-of-charge, but need to pay for others using coins earned in the game. Don't be afraid to stock up while exploring unlockable outfits for your soldiers.

Dive into Multiplayer

The two main modes you'll play around with in Garden Warfare are Garden Ops and Multiplayer. Garden Ops is a horde-style mode where you take on waves of zombies with your friends using various plants, while Multiplayer mixes things up with different teams; Garden Ops can be played solo and splitscreen with a buddy, in addition to online options.

If you're looking to get the ideal PVZ experience, start with Multiplayer. This'll show you what the factions and combat have to offer – on both sides – and warm you up for the action that awaits in the other modes. Remember, have fun with it!

Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare is available now for Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC.